Plural-section casing and latching mechanism therefor



' PLURAL SECTION CASING AND LATCHING MECHANISM THEREFOR Sept. 1 ,1931.L; v. ARONSON Fil ed Feb. 16. 1929 INVENTOR lam s" 11%razzpvzz.

iiml ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 1, 1931 i rrsn srrss amas are LOUIS V.ARONSON, QF NEW'ARK, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ART METAL WORKS, INC., ACORPORATION OF NEVI JERSEY PLUBAL-SFCTION CASING AND LATCHING- MECHANISMTHEREFOR Application filed February 16, 1929. Serial No.340,472.

My invention relates to a casing, case, on closing structure, orequivalent, hereinafter generically termed a casing and utilizable forany desired purpose, particularly for the temporary reception or storageof cigarettes.

In accordance with my invention, a casing, as aforesaid, comprisessections or receptacles hinged or pivoted together and maintained incasing-closing position by coacting members detachable in response tomovement of one of said sections or receptacles in a direction differentfrom that taken thereby when moving in casing-opening direction.

Further in accordance with my invention, a casing, as foresaid,comprises sections or receptacles hinged or pivoted together, one ofsaid sections or receptacles being pivoted with respect to another ofsaid sections or receptacles for movement'in a direction substantiallyat right angles to that taken thereby during movement toward or fromcasingclosing position.

Further in accordance with my invention, a casing utilizableparticularly for the temporary storage of cigarettes comprises shallow,substantially rectangular receptacles pivoted together in end-to-endrelation and retained in casing-closing position by locking or latchingmechanism comprising members detachable in response to such relativemovement of said receptacles as brings their peripheries out ofcoincidence.

Further in accordance with my invention, the receptacles last named areso controlled by a spring, or equivalent,that, upon disengagement ofsaid detachable members, the cigarettes or other articles may bemanually removed from that receptacle containing the same.

My invention resides in the mechanism, article, features of constructionand combination of parts of the character hereinafter described andclaimed, by way of example only.

For an illustration of some of the forms my mechanism or article maytake, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a casing utilizable particularlyfor the reception of cigarettes;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the article shown in Fig. l with thereceptacles constituting the casing in open position;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. 3 but show ber 12 pivoted'at 13 to theother section 11.

The pivoting arrangement may be such as is suitable or desirable,- asillustrated, a set of spaced hinge ears are formed on the member 12 andanother set is formed along one side of the section 11. After theopenings through said hinge ears are brought into registering relation,a rod, not shown, is passed therethrough and frictionally, or otherwiseheld, to constitute the pivotal or hinging axis for said receptacles orsections 10 and 11. I

To the end that the receptacles or sections 10 and 11 may be biased toopen position,

Fig. 2, two of the side-by-side hinge ears are spaced one from anotherand a spring 14 is coiled around the aforesaid rod forming the pivotalor hinging axis, ends of the spring 14: coacting, respectively, with thereceptacle or section 11 and plate 12 to bias the sections 10 and 11toward or into the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

In accordance with my invention, the aforesaid receptacles or sections10 and 11 are $0 arranged, Fig. 2, that one section may be moved with.respect to the other, such ice movement occurring substantially withinor along the planes of the section. In other words, assuming that thereceptacles or sec tions are closed, Fig. 1, and that the pivotalarrangement 13 is of the character described, it is characteristic of myinvention that one of said sections .may be angularly moved with respectto the line defining the pivotal axis of said sections to the positionillustrated by the broken lines of Fig. 1, for example.

As one form of an arrangement for obtaining such pivotal movement, aplurality of bolts or rivet members .15, 16 and 17 are shown forsecuring together the plate 12 and receptacle 10. These bolts aredisposed substantially in straight-line relation and, preferably, aresymmetrically spaced along the plate 12. The latter comprises afirstelongated slot 18 extending in one direction from the bolt 15 anda'second elongated slot 19 extending in adirection the reverse of saidone direction. The bolt v16 passes through an ordinary circularperforation in the plate 12. Accordingly, assun'iing that thereceptacleor section 11 and plate 12 are held stationary, Fig. 2, the receptacleor section-lO'may be swung in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2, about thebolt 16.

Inaccordance with one form of my invention, the relative movementjustdescribed of the receptacles or sections 10 and 11 is utilized forunlocking them when they are in-closedposition and for locking them intosuch closed position. To this end, latch structure or'mechanism ofany-suitable character may be employed.

Such latch mechanism, in the example shown, comprises coacting memberscarried, respectively, by the receptacles or sections 10 and 11. One ofsaid sections, for example, the section 10 carries, at its end removedfrom the pivot 18, spaced web or strip-like members 20 and 21 coactable,respectively, with spaced angular members 22 and 23 carried,respectively, by the other receptacle or section 11. The members 20, 21,22 and 23 may be formed integrally with the respective receptacles orsections 10 and 1.1 but, preferably, they are first separately formedand later soldered, or otherwise suitably secured, .in theirproperpositions.

'With the casing closed as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, a person maygrasp the same in one hand, for example, the left hand with.

the thumb contacting with the exterior surface of one of the receptaclesor sections and with'one or more fingers contacting with the exteriorsurface of the other receptacle or section. Then, the two receptacles orsections may be moved with respect to one another about the pivot 16,the latch members 20 and 22 on the one hand and 21 and '23 on the otherhand so moving relatively that eventually they reach'the positionillustrated in Fig. 4 whereupon the hand may be opened or the thumbwithdrawn to permit the spring 14 to open said receptacles or sections.In this manner, the casing comprising the receptacles or sections 10 and11 is opened to remove or dispose articles therein,

Conversely, the pivoted sections of the casing may be closed in responseto the relative movement thereof about the pivot 13 by pressure appliedby the fingers or thumb to their exterior surfaces. lVhen first moved toclosed position, the section 10 takes the position illustrated by thebroken lines in Fig. 1 and thereafter is manually shifted about thepivot 16 to bring into locking engagement the latch members 20 and 22 onthe one hand and 21' and 23 on the other hand.

As hereinbe'fore stated, a casing of the character hereinbeforedescribed may be utilized for any desired purpose; moreover. the wallstructure of the various sections together with the other parts may beformed of such material as is suitable or desirable. 1n the exampleillustrated, said casing is utilizable as a container for cigarettesand, therefore, the sections 10 and 11 should be relatively shallow andotherwise conformable with cigarette containers of types well known tothe art.

Ordinarily, the "all structures of the receptacles l0 and, 11 are formedfrom sheet like'metallicmaterial, such as iron. or steel, which issuitably broug'ht to the desired configuration, as by die-shapingoperations. As is well understood, exterior and interior surfaces of thereceptacles 10 and '11 may be suitably decorated, coated, or otherwisetreated toproduce an ornamental effect.

Then a casing constructed in accordance with my invention'is utilized asa container for cigarettes, the latter ordinarily are stacked inside-by-side relation in one of said receptacles, for example, thereceptacle 1O, the receptacle ll constituting a cover therefor.Accordingly, to the aforesaid plateor member 12, there may be pivoted astrap or band 2a of suitable semi-elastic material which, at its endremoved from the plate 12, comprises'a suitable latch for engag'ementwith a cooperatingmember carried by thereceptacle 10 adjacent theperiphery thereof. As is well understood, the ciga rettes, in superposedor side-by-side relation, are stacked or cisposed in the receptacle 10and'there releasably held by the member To facilitate gripping action bythe thumb and fingers on the exterior surfaces of the receptacles 10 and11, the latter, in

suitable external regions or areas thereof,'

may be provided with gripping pads or members 25, each of which, in theexample shown, is cemented, glued or otherwise suitably secured to aplate 26, one each of which is carried by the respective receptacles 1OIll) and 11. In lieu of the aforesaid gripping pads, exterior surfacesof said receptacles l and ll may be indented or serrated in properregions thereof. However, it shall be understood that the describedarrangements whereby the respective receptacles 10 and 11 are grippedmay be dispensed with entirely, if desired.

The receptacles 10 and 11, as illustrated in Fig. 2, are of identicalsizes. Accordingly, when said receptacles are brought to casing-closingposition, the peripheries hereof should be in coincidence and it is thisposition to which they are manually brought after the latch members havebeen engaged, 3. To preserve such coincidental relation of thereceptacle peripheries and to maintain the receptacle 10 in alinementwith the receptacle 11, an arrangement such as. illustrated in Fig. maybe provided wherein a leaf spring 27 is shown as disoosed in a recess 28formed in that side of the receptacle adjacent the pivot 13. The spring27 is symmetrically curved or bent; substantially centrally thereof, itengages a part of the aforesaid receptacle 10 and, a or adjacent itsends and on each side of the pivot 16, engages the receptacle 11 or theplate 12 to maintain the receptacles l0 and 11 in alinement, asaforesaid.

An arrangement of the character illustrated in 5 may be utilized inconnection with the latching mechanisms shown in Figs. 2, 3 and If so,it is necessary to overcome the effect of said spring before disengagingthe coacting members of the latch mechanism and also before engagingsaid coasting members. The arrangement of Fig. 5 particularly useful inconnection with latching mechanism of the type shown in G where thereceptacles 10 and 11 locked or latched in closed position without thenecessity of any preceding lateral movement. As shown in Fig. 6, one ofthe receptacles, for example, receptacle 10 carries spaced members 29corresponding essentially \ith the members and 21 described above.Coactable with the members 29 are the respective resilient bookspreferably forming the bent ends of a single member carried by thereceptacle 11. The surfaces of the hooks 30 facing the receptacle 10 areinclined as illustrated.

To open the casing illustrated in Fig. 6, it is necessary to proceed asdescribed above in connection with Figs. 3 and 4:. That is, one or theother of the receptacles 10 and 11 may be shifted laterally with respectto the other to disengage the members 29 from the books 30. The spring14 then functions to swing the receptacles 10 and 11 to open position.Particularly, if the spring 27 of Fi 5 is employed with the constructionof Fig. 6, the receptacles may be closed solely by a snap action, saidreceptacles throughout the closing movement beingin alinement and notdisplaced laterally. In thus closing, the members 29 engage thii'iclined faces of the members 30 and bend them to one side to permitpassage therebeneath of said members 29.

While I have described my invention in detail. and with respect to acertain embodiment thereof, I do not desire to be limite to such detai sor forms, since many changes and modifications may be made and the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention in its broader aspects. Hence I desire tocover all modifications and forms coming within the language or scope ofany one or more of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A casing comprising sections movable toward and from. casing-closingposition about a pivotal axis, one of said sections being pivoted withrespect to another of said sections for movement in a direction substantially at right angles to that taken thereby during movement towardor from casingclosing position, means for biasing said sec tions towardopen position, andv means for locking said sections in casing-closingposition.

0 f .3.,.,t t. 13', a. it casing 01 (again es compiism shallow,substantially rectangular receptaelse, a plate, means for pivoting saidplate to one of said receptacles, means for pivoting another of saidreceptacles to said plate, iii the pivotal movoi'ncnt of said other ofsaid receptacles with respect to said plate being limited, means forbiasing said receptacles toward open position, and coacting memberscarried, respectively, by said receptacles, said members beingdisengaged in response to said pivotal movement of said other of saidreceptacles.

3. A casing for cigarettes comprising shal low, substantiallyrectangular receptacles, a plate, means for pivoting said plate tonne ofsaid receptacles, means for pivoting another of said receptacles to saidplate, the pivotal movement of said other of said receptacles withrespect to said plate being limited, means for biasing said receptaclestoward open position, and co-acting members carried, respectively, bysaid receptacles,

aid members being disengaged or engaged in response to said pivotalmovement of said other of said receptacles.

l. A casing for cigarettes comprising shallow, substantially rectangularreceptacles, a plate, means for pivoting said" plate to one of saidreceptacles, means for pivoting another of said receptacles to saidplate, the pivotal movement of said other of said receptacles withrespect to said plate being limited, coacting members carried,respectively, by said receptacles, said members being disengaged orengaged in response to said plvotal movement of said other of saidreceptacles, and means for releasably re taining said members inengagement.

5. A casing for cigarettes comprising shallow, substantially rectangularreceptacles, a plate, means for pivoting said plate to one of saidreceptacles, means for pivoting another of said receptacles to saidplate, said last named means comprising a plurality of pins connectingsaid plate to said other of said receptacles, one of said pins beingoscillatory in an elongated slot, and coacting members carried,respectively, by said rece )tacles said members bein disen a ed or 7 b DD engaged in response to said pivotal movement or" said other of saidreceptacles.

6. A casing for cigarettes comprising shal- 10W, substantiallyrectangular receptacles, a plate, means for pivoting said plate to oneof said receptacles, means for pivoting another of said receptacles tosaid plate, said last named means comprising a plurality of pinsconnecting said plate to said other of said receptacles and disposed ina row sub stantially parallel With the pivotal axis of said one of saidreceptacles, one of saidpins being oscillatory in an elongated slot,coacting members carried, respectively, by said receptacles, saidmembers being disengaged or engaged in response to said pivotal movementof said other of said receptacles, and a spring for retaining saidreceptacles in predetermined relation With respect to each other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS V. ARON SON

